Taking Place

Question: I called 911, and the dispatcher kept asking so many questions. Why did she do that when it was an emergency? Answer: Dispatchers are trained to get as much information as possible so they can determine the nature of the problem and its gravity. Dispatchers are contacting emergency personnel and relaying important details while the conversation is taking place.

Don't be that guy. That's what Florida State coach Jimbo Fisher always heard. Don't be that guy who follows the legend. Don't be that guy who succeeds the winningest big-time coach in major college history. Don't be that guy who replaces the beloved Bobby Bowden. And now would you look at him? Look at him enveloped by hundreds and hundreds of glass-clinking, beer-drinking fans from the Seminole Club of Greater Orlando on Thursday evening at a downtown block party on Church Street.

NEW YORK - U.S. and North Korean officials met Thursday for the first time in more than a year to discuss the North's development of long-range missiles and its export of missile technology to Islamic countries in sensitive regions. The talks were expected to continue today. They were taking place in the same midtown Manhattan office building that houses the South Korean and Japanese U.N. missions.

The fighters smiled as they filed into a row and delivered swift punches to pads held up by their partners. But those gleeful expressions briefly soured and the complaints rolled in when their mixed martial arts instructor gave his next direction: 100 jabs. He anticipated this response. After all, his audience is a group of children. Some of them couldn't count past 20. Most weeknights, around 15 kids ages 4-12 gather at the Jungle MMA and Fitness gym on Colonial Drive for about an hour to learn a variety of disciplines that make up mixed martial arts.

BBC BLOCKED. The British Broadcasting Corp. said Friday that its Mandarin-language broadcasts to China are being jammed for the first time. The BBC said the interference typically starts a few minutes before the Mandarin transmissions begin and stops shortly after they end. The BBC said it did not know exactly how long the interference had been taking place. There has been evidence of it since June, it said.

BOSTON -- Conservative groups and some state lawmakers pleaded with a federal judge Wednesday in an eleventh-hour bid to stop the nation's first state-sanctioned gay marriages from taking place next week in Massachusetts. Mathew Staver, president and general counsel of the Central Florida-based Liberty Counsel, argued that the state's high court stepped outside its jurisdiction when it ruled in November that gay marriage should be legal in Massachusetts.

US Airways is moving toward alliances, a reflection of the planned expansion of its trans-Atlantic capacity in the next few years, a senior executive said Wednesday. ``With the extra capacity, there is a need to be a player in some alliance. We're heading down that track right now,'' said Mark Schwab, US Airways vice president international. He would not say which alliances might be involved or whether talks were taking place.

AMERICAN LEAGUE President Bobby Brown told managers Jeff Torborg of Chicago and Tony La Russa of Oakland he will come down hard on anyone taking place in altercations on the field. The A's and White Sox were in a bench-clearing brawl Saturday night. . . . An exam on the left shoulder of Dodgers outfielder Darryl Strawberry revealed no major damage, and Strawberry could be playing as early as next weekend, a team spokesman said.

ISABELA, Philippines -- Two soldiers were killed when Muslim rebels holding an estimated 20 hostages, including three Americans, clashed with pursuing troops today, a military official said. Col. Horacio Lapinit described it as a "fierce firefight" between the military and Abu Sayyaf forces holding the hostages. The fighting was taking place on the slopes of 2000-foot Mount Sinangcapan on eastern Basilan island.

I WOULD like to personally thank and applaud the efforts of County Manager Rob Magnaghi for the changes that are taking place at the jail.I pray that he continues his work and effort in assuring that efforts are stepped up for a new infirmary. The changes have been positive.Personnel changes are evident, communication skills have improved and general morale seems overall much better.Cynthia Farmer PeacockKISSIMMEE

Disney fandom knows no bounds. And though Disney princess and cartoon characters would seem to get the most attention from fans, there's plenty of love for merchandising, digital game-playing and, of course, various thrill rides in the Disney parks. But what about for Disney fans who are into the cartographic arts and the geographic interpolation sciences? Well, Ptolemy, have we got great news for you. A new interactive digital map shows the geographic settings of scores of Disney and Pixar animated movies.

Winter Park fell behind early in its match for third place overall in the Orlando Showcase girls volleyball tournament Saturday at the Orlando Sports Center. The Wildcats didn't panic. Teams that are considered the best in their area seldom do. Winter Park (10-1), No. 1 in the Super Six, prevailed 27-25, 25-14 against No. 5 Lake Highland (7-4) in a matchup of the tournament's host schools in the gold bracket of the Premier Division. "It's fun that we were able to represent the Orlando area," Winter Park coach Stephanie Gibson said.

TAVARES - Witnessing the level of strength, stamina and stealth it takes to be a firefighter is often only seen when an emergency occurs. Today, all ages are welcome to cheer on area firefighters at the Fourth Annual Scott Firefighter Combat Challenge at the Lake Technical Center's Institute of Public Safety. About 40 firefighters have signed up so far to go neck and neck in an all-day, intensely strenuous competitive challenge in events such as the five-story tower climb, hose hoist, forcible entry, hose advance and victim rescue.

Family and friends of slain U.S. Navy veteran Jeffrey Guzman Perez are holding a benefit concert Saturday to raise funds for a reward in the investigation into his murder. The 22-year-old U.S. Navy veteran was fatally shot in November 2011 while dropping a date off at her Orlando home, Orange County Sheriff's detectives said. Detectives have not identified a motive or suspects in the case but think Guzman Perez was victim of mistaken identity. In a public plea, Guzman Perez's family is asking the public for tips leading to an arrest in the case.

LEESBURG - St. Paul Catholic School's voluntary pre-kindergarten program received top state honors for a video to promote reading. The Leesburg school won first place and $1,000 in a state Department of Education video contest focused on reading. The school was recognized at the Daytona Beach Speedway by Florida First Lady Ann Scott. The video featured the school's 17 pre-K students racing on the school's track toward their favorite book. "We are honored to accept this award and are glad to be able to promote the love of reading," pre-K Director Geri Connell said.

I wish to protest in the strongest possible terms your decision to curtail the stock listings. Yes, you do cover the majority of the issues that are most actively traded, but there are many of us out here who need to know what is happening in the NASDAQ on a daily basis.You know that the most interesting segment of the market now is taking place in the small-cap stocks. Please don't take this information away from us.It is a shame that the bean counters have apparently taken over from the real news people.

Virginia Gov. Douglas Wilder, the first black elected governor, campaigned in the state that breeds presidential dreams. Wilder insisted he was in the state Friday and today to stump for Don Avenson, the Democrat seeking to unseat Republican Gov. Terry Branstad, and other candidates. However, Wilder said one goal of his tour would be ''to speak about what I think is taking place . . . in terms of people recognizing the need to have voices articulating what the new mainstream is.''

LONDON -- Toonpics by Spanish, Czech and U.K. directors will make up the nominees for the European Film Academy animated feature film award, it was announced Tuesday. The EFA has nominated "Alois Nebel," a Czech-German-Slovak co-production helmed by Tomas Lunak; "Arrugas" (Wrinkles) from Spain, helmed by Ignacio Ferreras; and U.K. company Aardman Animation's "The Pirates! In an Adventure with Scientists," helmed by Aardman co-founder Peter Lord , for the 2012 award. The nominees were selected by a five-person international committee, and will be voted on by the 2,700 EFA members ahead of the European Film Awards ceremony, which takes place on Dec. 1 in Malta.

Film technology, 3D entertainment and the multiscreen future will be the hot topics at a series of three confabs Wednesday and Thursday in Hollywood. Highlights include a special screening of 3D "Top Gun" footage that Tony Scott color-timed and wrapped last month before his death, presented by Legend3D's Barry Sandrew at the 3D Summit. All three events will take place at the Hollywood and Highland Center. Turner's Coleman Breland, Cinedigm's Chris McGurk and Alloy's Jordan Levin will be among the speakers at the two-day Multiscreen Summit, which examines battles between screens, devices, distributors and content creators.